New Findings on Natural Remedies for Bad Breath

Did You Know… that the pigment which gives plants their green color can be used as one of the natural remedies for bad breath and permanently cure bad breath, as well as foot and body odor?

Chlorophyll, the pigment found in plants and leaves, does much more than keep our world green. In 1950, Dr. Howard Westcott found that chlorophyll for bad breath, in doses as low as 100 milligrams a day could “[neutralize] bad breath, body odor, menstrual odors, and foul-smelling urine and stools.”

The results of Dr. Westcott’s observational study on chlorophyll were published in a July 1950 Time magazine article. Apparently, Dr. Westcott — an internist — noticed that when anemia patients took chlorophyll, the odor of their urine was less offensive.

He then speculated that chlorophyll might have benefits for bad breath and body odor.

A small study consisting of 5 medical professionals produced positive results — they noticed little or no underarm odor 18 hours after consuming chlorophyll. Similar results emerged from a study of 12 female college students.

Westcott determined that chlorophyll is effective as natural remedies for treating bad breath no matter what the cause — whether it be food, smoking, or stomach upset.

The source of chlorophyll’s breath-sweetening powers is two-fold. First, it deodorizes immediate odors in the mouth and throat. Second, and more importantly, chlorophyll is highly alkaline … and this property promotes a healthy digestive tract by regulating bacteria production and detoxifying the body.

Chlorophyll’s detoxifying activity in your bloodstream is internally purifying and directly affects your breath. According to Jennifer Workman, author of Stop Your Cravings: A Balanced Approach to Burning Fat, Increasing Energy, and Reducing Stress, bad breath is often symptomatic of a toxic colon. Clean blood leads to a cleaner colon — and ultimately, you get cleaner breath!

Mints and Commercial Mouthwashes are Not the Answer

Most people turn to breath mints, which do nothing to fight bad breath — they only mask the smell. The root of bad breath is internal, and thus requires an internal solution.

Most commercial mouthwash products may seem to eliminate bad breath, but its effects are short-term and come with a cadre of unpleasant and serious side effects.

According to studies conducted over the last several years at the University of Sao Paulo, daily use of mouthwash is linked to:

Increased incidence of oral cancer

Erosion of tooth enamel

Increased tooth sensitivity

Perhaps most disturbing of all is the fact that mouthwash can actually make your breath smell worse. That’s because the concentrated alcohol in most mouthwash solutions kills mass quantities of the germs in your mouth.

While this initially improves the smell of your breath, its long-term effect is a shortage of saliva that can severely dry out your mouth.

Without enough saliva to wash it away, oral bacteria flourishes, causing your breath to worsen. If you treat the problem with more mouthwash, you’re trapping yourself in a vicious cycle.

Fortunately, chlorophyll has no undesirable domino effects, and can not be a natural remedy to solve bad breath and body odor but can also improve your overall health. Chlorophyll is thought to be an anti-carcinogen, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory.

It contains many important nutritional elements, such as:

Vitamin A

Vitamin C

Vitamin E

Vitamin K

Folic acid

Iron

Calcium

Magnesium

Chlorophyll is also a good source of protein. It helps your body repair red blood cells, boost immunity, and increase the disease resistance of cells. And as an important chelate, chlorophyll can bind to — thereby neutralizing and eliminating — heavy metals such as mercury.

Greens (obviously) and algaes contain some of the densest natural concentrations of chlorophyll. Mate tea, grown primarily in countries in South America, is one of the richest known sources of chlorophyll.

Herbs such as basil, cilantro, and dill are also good sources of chlorophyll. James A. Duke, Ph.D., author of The Green Pharmacy: New Discoveries in Herbal Remedies for Common Diseases and Conditions from the World’s Foremost Authority on Healing Herbs, recommends making a dill tea after meals by adding “1 to 2 teaspoons of leaves or mashed seeds per cup of boiling water”.

Chewing dill seeds is another great way to use natural remedies for bad breath. You can also choose to take chlorophyll supplements as a natural remedy. A standard dose is 1 teaspoon of powder or a 100mg tablet. As with the dill tea, the supplements should be taken after meals.

If you choose to take a supplement that comes in liquid form and contains chlorophyll, like alfalfa, it’s possible to take up to 1 tablespoon or 500 to 1,000mg daily. The liquid should be diluted in juice or water, not taken on its own.

Parsley is also rich in chlorophyll — more than most breath mints that list it as one of their active ingredients. In fact, if you swallow parsley leaves, they’ll continue to provide freshness throughout the digestion process.

So next time you see a sprig of parsley garnishing your plate, don’t let that power-packed chlorophyll go to waste.